Alvin's Ear
by AngelOfPride
Summary: ever notice the small nick in Alvin's ear? My theory on how he got it :) (suck at summaries) please review, fav and follow


Theodore opened his eyes with a start at noises coming from the bottom of the tree. He blinked and rolled onto his stubby paws, poking his head out of the hollow and peering down the oak tree. The tiny chipmunk gasped at the sight of a large adult male scuffling around the snow-covered branches. Theodore whimpered slightly and shrank back into the hole, turning and prodding at his brothers, "Simon? Alvin?"  
Simon was the first to blink open his eyes, "Wha..?" He gazed around the hollow briefly in an attempt to find his younger, before slowly adjusting his gaze, "Theodore what is it?"  
"Outside! Stranger!" Theodore whispered urgently, his green eyes wide with fright.

Simon's ears pricked and he jumped to his paws, scratching at Alvin's shoulder, "Alvin! Get up!"  
The eldest groaned and opened one eye, "Is it Spring yet?"  
"There's a stranger outside!" Theodore whimpered in panic.

Alvin froze, and Theodore flicked his ears in panic. The last thing their parents had told them before taking off was to keep strangers out because they would try to take the tree no matter what. However, the brothers didn't expect strangers to come so soon after their parents left, and though Alvin was almost the height of an adult chipmunk, he was still young and inexperienced. Simon lacked the physical advantages of his elder brother, and without a clear eyesight, they all knew that not even his brain would think of a way to fend off intruders. As for Theodore himself, well, he was still a baby, his fur was still fluffy and he wasn't as smart as Simon, nor as brave as Alvin. He knew this of course, and had never really minded. But this was a time he wished he was like his brothers.

Alvin sat up with his ears twitching, "Does he know we're here yet?"  
"I-I don't think so." Theodore stammered.

Simon placed a paw on his baby brother's shoulder, "Relax Theo. Everything's gonna be fine."

Alvin had hopped to the entrance (and exit) of the hollow, and was glancing over the side.

"Maybe if we stay quiet they'll move on." Simon whispered.

"Doesn't look like it." Alvin grunted quietly, narrowing his eyes, "He's already making his mark."  
Theodore blinked, "What does that mean?"  
Alvin and Simon exchanged a glance, then shuddered.

"When you're older." Simon assured him.

"Alright kiddos! Just come out and I won't hurt you!"

The brothers froze at the sudden gruff shout. Theodore was trembling, "Maybe if we do what he says-"

"No!" Alvin and Simon both hissed.

"The moment we show ourselves he'll jump at us." Simon stated, "We just have to hope they don't find us."  
They sat in a painfully tense silence, listening out with their hearts in their throats.

"Ah, you're pretty young aren't ya?" the voice called up again, voice laced with false warmth, "Did mommy and daddy run out on you early?"

_'He's not giving up!'_ Theodore thought in terror, noticing Alvin narrow his eyes furiously.

"What? Did mommy not love you enough? Did daddy not think you were worth the trouble of just _one_ week? I mean you must be older, but mommy and daddy haven't been here for...oh, _months and months!_ Look, you can't look out for a big tree like this. Just leave quietly and nothing bad will happen. Mommy and daddy must have been pretty dumb to leave this place to you!"  
There was a sudden shriek of rage and Theodore gasped as Alvin shot out of the hollow, Simon screaming and reaching out too late to grip their brother.

Theodore and Simon raced to look out of the hole, just in time to see the intruder grunt as Alvin dropped down practically on top of him, scoring small claws down his face. The intruder bellowed in pain as Alvin tore his claws out to grab at the branch to stop himself from falling, scrambling up.

Theodore stared in horror as the older chipmunk shook the blood from the shallow scratch and glowered at Alvin, "So, you the leader of this little gang eh!?"  
"What's it to you?!" Alvin snapped, seemingly undaunted by the other chipmunk's larger size- but while Theodore couldn't see it, Simon could see how the fur of their brother's tail was bushed out in...not fear. Self-doubt and intimidation.

The intruder didn't even respond in words. He leapt at Alvin with teeth and claws, and for some time, all Theodore could see was flying fur, blood and the sounds of screeching bounced in his ears.

He closed his eyes tightly, praying for it all to be a dream, and curled against Simon, who was staring in horror.

Suddenly, he heard Alvin let out a cry of pain and heard the noise of branches rustling, then a faint thump as something hit the ground. Then it was silent except for the stranger's tired panting of victory.

Theodore whimpered as Simon slowly led him out of the hole, skirting around carefully to the back of the tree to climb down. Thankfully, the male was too busy recovering his breath to notice.

Theodore scurried down the thick, frost-covered trunk and down onto the snowy ground, wincing as the cold hit his paws- not just the cold of winter, but the cold of being forced out of the only home he knew. He may be a baby still, but he wasn't stupid; he knew how it worked. Alvin was the eldest of the three, the one in charge, and he'd lost- as they had already known he would.

He followed Simon until they found their brother, huddled in the snow. His back was facing them, his small body was laced with scratches, but it was the nick in his ear that Theodore first noticed.

Simon pawed at the body in worry, "Alvin? Come on, you're okay right?"

Slowly, just as panic was beginning to rise in Theodore, Alvin shuddered, and Theodore heard the faint sound of sobbing.

"Alvin?" he asked quietly.

He exchanged a worried glance with Simon, and the two scurried around their brother to face him. Theodore winced. It was so strange to see his eldest brother like this- tiny, vulnerable, hurt, with his whole body curled on, eyes tightly closed as though in a bad dream, tears streaming down his face.

"Alvin?" Simon twitched his ear, "Where are you hurt most?"  
Alvin didn't respond for a while, then simply whimpered, "I lost. I let him beat me."  
Simon sat back, one hand on his brother's shoulder, "Alvin there was nothing you could have done. It was bad luck. It's rare for loners to come wandering around at this time of year- they don't usually come till later. That's what dad said, remember?"  
"Yeah. The dad who _loved _us so much." Alvin muttered bitterly.

Theodore twitched his nose in concern, "That guy was just a bully Alvin! You can't take him seriously!"  
"Theo's right Alvin." Simon nodded.  
Alvin opened his eyes to glance up at Theodore sceptically. However, one look into the large, innocent eyes was enough to slap him back to his senses, and he slowly shifted onto his haunches, wincing at the aching and stinging all over his body, "I guess so."

"Is your ear okay?" Theodore squeaked, glancing at the triangular nick, blood still dripping out.

Alvin twitched the ear, making sure his youngest brother knew that he was taking the injury seriously, "I'll live." he gave Theodore a half-hearted smirk, "First battle scar."

Theodore smiled and perked his ears at the slowly returning humour. Simon sighed in relief, "Well we'd better get going before it starts snowing again. And before that jerk gets his head straight."

Theodore and Alvin nodded as the three started limping through the snow in search of a new home, the faint trail of blood slowly fading beneath a cover of white behind them.

**THE END**


End file.
